Government no longer placing figure on housing shortage

PHOTO: Kaysha Brownlie reports on the Government’s Progressive Home Ownership scheme. Credits: Image: Getty, Video Newshub

The Government has stopped counting how many more houses are needed to fill the nationwide shortage.

New Zealand’s housing crisis was a centre point of Labour’s election campaign in 2017. As it formed the coalition government it pointed to a 71,000 shortfall nationwide.

But as Newshub Nation discovered when it tried to get updated figures, the Government is no longer taking stock.

The latest estimates are; the 2017 figure released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment [MBIE]; and this housing stocktake report published in early 2018.

Nor does there seem to be an official goal set to resolve the crisis.

“There are no specific targets we have in place for housing need/demand,” said a Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman.

Instead the Ministry has a “place-based approach” and is liaising with community leaders to establish need.